Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Avi Dichter was offered to replace fellow Likud faction member Yoav Gallant as defense minister, he revealed in a Channel 12 interview to be shown on Thursday evening.
"I only needed to say one word to become defense minister: Yes," he told Rafi Reshef.
Netanyahu fired Gallant earlier in the year after calling to halt the judicial reform legislation in March. The prime minister initially said he lost trust in Gallant after the minister "went behind the government's back."
Netanyahu reversed Gallant's firing following mass protests across Israel.
Dichter further rejected claims that his support of the judicial reform was to strengthen his chances of becoming the defense minister.
"I have heard a lot of things about myself," Dichter said. "In life, you have to choose whether to acknowledge disinformation and fake news, or move on."